Blower and air conditioner having the same

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner comprises a compressor to compress a refrigerant, a heat exchanger to move heat of the refrigerant, and a blower to blow air. The blower comprises a fan rotatable about a rotation axis, and a plurality of stationary blades installed to be a radial shape about the rotation axis in a direction in which the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan is discharged, and are curved in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the fan from an inner circumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion. The stationary blades comprise an inlet edge, and an outlet edge, and an inlet angle formed by the inlet edge and the rotation axis and a chord angle formed by a chord connecting the inlet edge and the outlet edge and the rotation axis are larger at the inner and outer circumferential portions than at a radial center portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application which claims thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application No.PCT/KR2015/007209, filed on Jul. 10, 2015, which claims the foreignpriority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0098101 filed Jul. 10, 2015, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a blower and an air conditioner havingthe same.

BACKGROUND ART

A blower used in an outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes arotating fan having a plurality of moving blades, an electric motor fordriving the fan, and a plurality of stationary blades installed in adirection in which the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan isdischarged.

The airflow generated by the rotation of the fan having a plurality ofmoving blades is generally different in the blowing direction dependingon the radial direction position of the fan.

In addition, depending on the difference of the shape of the stationaryblades installed in the direction in which the airflow generated by therotation of the fan is discharged, the dynamic pressure of the airflowgenerated by the rotation of the fan may not be effectively recoveredand the static pressure efficiency of the blower may be lowered.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a blowerand an air conditioner having the same which improve the static pressureefficiency by improving the shape of stationary blades installed in thedirection in which the airflow generated by the rotation of a fan isdischarged.

Technical Solution

An air conditioner in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes a compressor to compress a refrigerant, a heatexchanger to move heat of the refrigerant, and a blower to blow air soas to cool the heat exchanger, wherein the blower includes a fan whichis rotated about a rotation axis, and a plurality of stationary bladeswhich are installed to be a radial shape about the rotation axis in adirection in which the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan isdischarged, and are curved in a direction opposite to the rotationdirection of the fan as they go from an inner circumferential portion toan outer circumferential portion, the stationary blades include an inletedge through which the airflow generated by the fan is introduced, andan outlet edge through which the airflow introduced into the inlet edgeis discharged, and an inlet angle formed by the inlet edge and therotation axis and a chord angle formed by a chord connecting the inletedge and the outlet edge and the rotation axis are larger at the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion than at aradial center portion between the inner circumferential portion and theouter circumferential portion.

The stationary blades may be continuously changed in accordance with theradial direction position such that the inlet angle corresponds to thevelocity distribution of the airflow generated by the rotation of thefan.

The stationary blades may be continuously changed in accordance with theradial direction position such that the chord angle corresponds to theinlet angle and the velocity distribution of the airflow generated bythe rotation of the fan.

The stationary blades may have a larger outlet angle which is formed bythe outlet edge and the rotation axis, at the inner circumferentialportion and the outer circumferential portion than at the radial centerportion between the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion.

The stationary blades may have a longer length of the chord at the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion than atthe radial center portion between the inner circumferential portion andthe outer circumferential portion.

The stationary blades may be continuously changed in accordance with theradial direction position such that the outlet angle and the length ofthe chord correspond to the inlet angle and the velocity distribution ofthe airflow generated by the rotation of the fan.

The air conditioner may further include an electric motor to drive thefan, a first housing to house the fan and the electric motor, and asecond housing provided with the stationary blades.

The first housing may have a cylindrical inner wall surface, a flowpassage through which the airflow generated by the fan passes along theinner wall surface may be formed inside the first housing, and thecross-sectional area of the flow passage may be reduced along theadvancing direction of the airflow.

The second housing may have a cylindrical inner wall surface, a flowpassage through which the airflow after passing through the firsthousing passes along the inner wall surface may be formed inside thesecond housing, and the cross-sectional area of the flow passage may beincreased along the advancing direction of the airflow.

The stationary blades may be provided to extend to a connecting memberprovided adjacent to the rotation axis from the inner wall surface andmay be provided in a plate shape having a uniform thickness from theinner circumferential portion contacting with the connecting member tothe outer circumferential portion contacting with the inner wallsurface.

A ring-shaped supporting member to support the stationary blades may beprovided between the inner wall surface and the connecting member, andthe stationary blades may include inner circumferential stationaryblades connecting the connecting member and the supporting member, andouter circumferential stationary blades connecting the supporting memberand the inner wall surface.

The outer circumferential stationary blades may be provided to have alarger number than the number of the inner circumferential stationaryblades.

Further, an air conditioner in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a compressor to compress a refrigerant, aheat exchanger to move heat of the refrigerant, and a blower to blow airso as to cool the heat exchanger, wherein the blower includes a fanwhich is rotated about a rotation axis, and a plurality of stationaryblades which are installed to be a radial shape about the rotation axisin a direction in which the airflow generated by the rotation of the fanis discharged, and are curved in a direction opposite to the rotationdirection of the fan as they go from an inner circumferential portion toan outer circumferential portion, the stationary blades include an inletedge through which the airflow generated by the fan is introduced, andan outlet edge through which the airflow introduced into the inlet edgeis discharged, an inlet angle formed by the inlet edge and the rotationaxis is larger at the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion than at a radial center portion between theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion, andthe length of a chord connecting the inlet edge and the outlet edge islonger at the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion than at the radial center portion.

Further, a blower in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes a fan which is rotated about a rotation axis, and aplurality of stationary blades which are installed to be a radial shapeabout the rotation axis in a direction in which the airflow generated bythe rotation of the fan is discharged, and are curved in a directionopposite to the rotation direction of the fan as they go from an innercircumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion, wherein thestationary blades include an inlet edge through which the airflowgenerated by the fan is introduced, and an outlet edge through which theairflow introduced into the inlet edge is discharged, and an inlet angleformed by the inlet edge and the rotation axis and a chord angle formedby a chord connecting the inlet edge and the outlet edge and therotation axis are larger at the inner circumferential portion and theouter circumferential portion than at a radial center portion betweenthe inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion.

Further, a blower in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes a fan which is rotated about a rotation axis, and aplurality of stationary blades which are installed to be a radial shapeabout the rotation axis in a direction in which the airflow generated bythe rotation of the fan is discharged, and are curved in a directionopposite to the rotation direction of the fan as they go from an innercircumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion, wherein thestationary blades include an inlet edge through which the airflowgenerated by the fan is introduced, and an outlet edge through which theairflow introduced into the inlet edge is discharged, an inlet angleformed by the inlet edge and the rotation axis is larger at the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion than at aradial center portion between the inner circumferential portion and theouter circumferential portion, and the length of a chord connecting theinlet edge and the outlet edge is longer at the inner circumferentialportion and the outer circumferential portion than at the radial centerportion.

Advantageous Effects

In accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, the staticpressure efficiency of a blower can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a bloweraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view schematically illustrating a blower accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a relationship between stationary bladesand a fan according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a radial distribution of the velocity of the airflowgenerated by the rotation of the fan according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a change in an inlet angle and an outlet angle in astationary blade depending on radial direction positions according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7a to 7c illustrate inlet angles and outlet angles according toradial direction positions of a stationary blade.

FIGS. 8a to 8c illustrate chord angles and the length of the chordangles according to radial direction positions of a stationary blade.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a configuration of stationary bladesaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner 1 towhich an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

The air conditioner 1 includes, for example, an outdoor unit 10installed on a roof or the like of a building, a plurality of indoorunits 20 installed on each part of the building, and a piping 30connected between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20 andthrough which refrigerant circulating to the outdoor unit 10 and theindoor units 20 flows.

The outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor 11 for compressing therefrigerant, a four-way switching valve 12 for switching refrigerantpassages, an outdoor heat exchanger 13 which is a device for moving heatfrom a high temperature object to a low temperature object, an outdoorexpansion valve 14 for expanding and evaporating the condensedrefrigerant liquid to low pressure/low temperature, and an accumulator15 for separating the refrigerant liquid which has not been evaporated.The outdoor unit 10 also includes a blower 50 that sends air to theoutdoor heat exchanger 13 to promote heat exchange between therefrigerant and the air. The four-way switching valve 12 is connected tothe compressor 11, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the accumulator 15by the piping 30, respectively. Also, the compressor 11 and theaccumulator 15 are connected by the piping 30 and the outdoor heatexchanger 13 and the outdoor expansion valve 14 are connected by thepiping 30. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which a heating operation isperformed in a switched connection state of the four-way switching valve12.

The outdoor unit 10 is also provided with a control device 18 forcontrolling the operation of the compressor 11, the outdoor expansionvalve 14, and the blower 50 and the like, or for the switching of thefour-way switching valve 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, each of the indoor unit 20 includes an indoorheat exchanger 21 which is a device for moving heat from a hightemperature object to a low temperature object, a blower 22 for sendingair to the indoor heat exchanger 21 to promote heat exchange between therefrigerant and the air, and an indoor expansion valve 24 for expandingand evaporating the condensed refrigerant liquid to low pressure/lowtemperature.

Although two indoor units 20 are connected to one outdoor unit 10 in theexample illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of the indoor units 20 may beone, or three or more, and the number of the outdoor units 10 may beplural.

The piping 30 has a liquid refrigerant pipe 31 through which theliquefied refrigerant flows and a gas refrigerant pipe 32 through whichthe gas refrigerant flows. The liquid refrigerant pipe 31 is arrangedsuch that the refrigerant flows between the indoor expansion valves 24of the indoor units 20 and the outdoor expansion valve 14. The gasrefrigerant pipe 32 is arranged such that the refrigerant passes betweenthe four-way switching valve 12 of the outdoor unit 10 and the gas sideof the indoor heat exchangers 21 of the indoor units 20.

Next, the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional viewillustrating the configuration of the blower 50 to which the embodimentof the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 3 is a schematic top planview illustrating the configuration of the blower 50 to which theembodiment of the present disclosure is applied, and corresponds to theview of the blower 50 of FIG. 2 viewed from direction III.

The blower 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosureincludes a fan 51 for generating an airflow to cool the outdoor heatexchanger 13 (refer to FIG. 1) by rotating in the direction of arrow Aabout a rotation axis C, an electric motor 52 for driving the fan 51, afirst housing 53 to house the fan 51 and the electric motor 52, and asecond housing 54 connected to the first housing 53 on the downstreamside in the advancing direction of the airflow generated by the fan 51.In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 3,the fan 51 has three moving blades 51 a.

Here, the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure is installed such that the rotation axis direction of the fan51 is vertical. Although not shown, in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the above-described outdoor heat exchanger 13 is installedon the vertically lower side than the first housing 53 of the blower 50.In addition, the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure is configured such that by the rotation of the fan 51, air issucked in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and as shown bythe dotted arrow lines B, the airflow flows toward the vertical upwardside from the vertical downward side.

The first housing 53 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure has a cylindrical inner wall surface 531, and a flow passagethrough which the airflow generated by the fan 51 passes along the innerwall surface 531 is formed inside the first housing 53. In the firsthousing 53 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, asillustrated in FIG. 2, the flow passage formed along the inner wallsurface 531 is formed as a so-called “bell-mouth” shape such that thecross-sectional area becomes larger as it goes toward the upstream side(upward in FIG. 2) in the advancing direction of the airflow from thedownstream side (downward in FIG. 2) in the advancing direction of theairflow.

Also, the second housing 54 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure has a cylindrical inner wall surface 541, and a flow passagethrough which the airflow after passing through the first housing 53passes along the inner wall surface 541 is formed inside the secondhousing 54. As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the second housing 54 accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure, the flow passage formedalong the inner wall surface 541 has an expanded opening shape in whichthe cross-sectional area becomes larger as it goes toward the downstreamside (upward in FIG. 2) in the advancing direction of the airflow fromthe upstream side (downward in FIG. 2) in the advancing direction of theairflow.

Further, a plurality of stationary blades 60 extending from the innerwall surface 541 toward the rotation axis C, and a connecting memberinstalled at the vicinity of the rotation axis C to connect with theplurality of stationary blades 60 are formed on the second housing 54according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In other words,as illustrated in FIG. 2, the second housing 54 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure is provided with the plurality ofstationary blades 60 installed radially toward the inner wall surface541 from a connecting member 65. Here, each of the stationary blades 60has a plate shape with a substantially uniform thickness from theconnecting member 65 side to the inner wall surface 541 side. Also, inthe embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of stationaryblades 60 has the same shape as each other.

Further, although a detailed description will be given later, in theblower 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, theairflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 and blown out of thefirst housing 53 passes through the gaps (spaces) between the pluralityof stationary blades 60 formed at the second housing 54 and isdischarged to the outside of the blower 50.

Here, in the stationary blade 60, the edge of the side which is opposedto the fan 51 and into which the airflow generated by the rotation ofthe fan 51 enters is referred to as an inlet edge 601, and the edgelocated on the side opposite to the inlet edge 601 and from which theairflow is discharged is referred to as an outlet edge 602.

FIG. 4, which is a view for explaining a relationship between thestationary blades 60 and the fan 51 to which the embodiment of thepresent disclosure is applied, illustrates the stationary blades 60 andthe fan 51 viewed from the downstream side in the direction of therotation axis of the fan 51.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, as each stationary blade 60 goes toward theouter circumferential portion connected to the inner wall surface 541from the inner circumferential portion connected to the connectingmember 65, each stationary blade 60 is formed in a shape curved oppositeto a rotation direction A of the fan 51 such that the radial centerportion becomes convex when viewed from the downstream side in thedirection of the rotation axis. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, eachstationary blade 60 is formed in a shape curved opposite to the rotationdirection A of the fan 51 relative to a straight line (one-dot chainline in FIG. 4) passing through the rotation center (rotation axis C) ofthe fan 51 and the connecting portion between the stationary blade 60and the connecting member 65 and extending to the inner wall surface541.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the stationary blades 60 isformed such that the outlet edge 602 is biased in the rotation directionA relative to the inlet edge 601 when viewed from the downstream side inthe direction of the rotation axis. That is, each of the stationaryblades 60 has a shape inclined in the rotation direction A as it goesfrom the inlet edge 601 to the outlet edge 602.

In the description of the present specification, as a direction alongthe rotation axis C of the fan 51, the direction from the lower sidetoward the upper side in FIG. 2 may be simply referred to as a rotationaxis direction. Also, as a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis,the direction from the rotation axis C toward the inner wall surface 531or the inner wall surface 541 may be referred to as a radial direction.Also, the radially inner side (the rotation axis C side) of the fan 51or the stationary blades 60 or the like may be referred to as an innercircumferential side (inner circumferential portion) and the radiallyouter side (the inner wall surfaces 531 and 541 side) may be referred toas an outer circumferential side (outer circumferential portion).

Next, the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 will bedescribed. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating radial distributions of thevelocity of the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 5 illustrates radial distributions of the axial velocity and thecircumferential velocity of the airflow generated by the rotation of thefan 51 and blown out of the first housing 53 in the blower 50 accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the airflow generated bythe rotation of the fan 51 is blown in the form of a spiral from thefirst housing 53. In other words, the airflow generated by the rotationof the fan 51 has circumferential components directed to the rotationdirection A in addition to axial components toward the downstream sidein the rotation axis direction. In FIG. 5, the velocity of the axialcomponents in the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 istaken as the axial velocity, and the velocity of the circumferentialcomponents is taken as the circumferential velocity.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the embodiment of the present disclosure,the axial velocity of the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan51 becomes smaller in the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion of the blower 50 than in the radial centerportion located between the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion. Also, the circumferential velocity of theairflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 becomes larger in theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion ofthe blower 50 than in the radial center portion.

That is, in the airflow blown from the inner circumferential portion andthe outer circumferential portion of the first housing 53, thecircumferential direction components are increased compared with theairflow blown from the radial center portion of the first housing 53.Also, in the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the airflow blown from the inner circumferential portion andthe outer circumferential portion of the first housing 53 is in aninclined state in the rotation direction A (circumferential direction)of the fan 51 in comparison with the airflow blown from the radialcenter portion of the first housing 53.

Next, the shape of the stationary blades 60 according to the embodimentof the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating changes in an inlet angle (θ1) and anoutlet angle (θ2) in the stationary blade 60 to which the embodiment ofthe present disclosure is applied, by the radial direction positions.Also, FIGS. 7a to 7c and FIGS. 8a to 8c , which are diagramsillustrating the cross-sectional shapes of the stationary blade 60,illustrate the cross-sectional shapes of the stationary blade 60according to the rotation direction A of the fan 51. Here, FIGS. 7a and8a correspond to cross-sectional views taken along line A-A in FIG. 4and illustrate cross-sectional shapes at the outer circumferentialportion of the stationary blade 60. Also, FIGS. 7b and 8 b correspond tocross-sectional views taken along line B-B in FIG. 4 and illustratecross-sectional shapes at the radial center portion of the stationaryblade 60. Also, FIGS. 7c and 8c correspond to cross-sectional viewstaken along line C-C in FIG. 4 and illustrate cross-sectional shapes atthe inner circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the inlet angle (θ1) of thestationary blade 60 denotes the angle formed by the inlet edge 601 ofthe stationary blade 60 and the rotation axis C of the fan 51, and theoutlet angle (θ2) of the blade 60 denotes the angle formed by the outletedge 602 of the stationary blade 60 and the rotation axis C of the fan51.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7a , a center line L passingthrough the center of the thickness of the stationary blade 60 in across section of the stationary blade 60 is drawn from the inlet edge601 to the outlet edge 602. As described above, the stationary blade 60is in the form of a plate having a substantially uniform thickness andhas a curved shape from the inlet edge 601 to the outlet edge 602.Corresponding to this, the center line L1 becomes a curved line asillustrated in FIG. 7 a.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the angle formed by atangential line T1 of the center line L1 at the inlet edge 601 and therotation axis C on a cross section of the stationary blade 60 is definedas the inlet angle (θ1). Similarly, an angle formed by a tangential lineT2 of the center line L1 at the outlet edge 602 and the rotation axis Con a cross section of the stationary blade 60 is defined as the outletangle (θ2).

Although the details will be described later, in the stationary blade 60according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated inFIG. 6, the outlet angle (θ2) is smaller and closer to the rotation axisdirection, compared with the inlet angle (θ1).

In the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure,the stationary blade 60 having such a shape changes the advancingdirection of the airflow to the rotational axis direction to recover thedynamic pressure in the process of introducing the airflow generated bythe rotation of the fan 51 from the inlet edge 601 of the stationaryblade 60 and discharging the airflow toward the outlet edge 602.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the embodiment of the present disclosure,the inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade 60 continuously changes inaccordance with the radial position such that it corresponds to thevelocity distributions (distributions of the axial velocity and thecircumferential velocity; refer to FIG. 5) of the airflow generated bythe fan 51.

Specifically, the inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade 60 becomeslarge at the outer circumferential portion and the inner circumferentialportion where the axial velocity of the airflow generated by the fan 51is low and the blowing direction of the airflow is inclined in therotating direction A (the circumferential direction), as compared withthe radial center portion. On the contrary, the inlet angle (θ1) of thestationary blade 60 becomes small at the radial center portion where theaxial velocity of the airflow generated by the fan 51 is large and theblowing direction of the airflow is close to the rotation axisdirection, as compared with the outer circumferential portion and theinner circumferential portion.

In other words, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 a to 7 c, an inlet angle(θ1 a) at the outer circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60and an inlet angle (θ1 c) at the inner circumferential portion of thestationary blade 60 become larger, as compared with an inlet angle (θ1b) at the radial center portion of the stationary blade 60 (θ1 a>θ1 b,θ1 c>θ1 b).

As such, in the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, since the inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade 60 andthe blowing direction of the airflow generated by the rotation of thefan 51 have a corresponding relationship, the airflow generated by therotation of the fan 51 is easily introduced along the stationary blade60 at the inlet edge 601. Thus, in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the inflow resistance when the airflow generated by therotation of the fan 51 is introduced into the stationary blade 60 isreduced, so the direction of the airflow is easily changed by thestationary blade 60. As a result, the static pressure efficiency in theblower 50 is improved compared with the case where the configuration ofthe present disclosure is not employed.

Herein, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the case wherethe innermost circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60connected to the connecting member 65 is defined as 0 and the outermostcircumferential portion connected to the inner wall surface 541 isdefined as 100 and the radial direction position of the stationary blade60 is relatively expressed, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the inlet angle(θ1) is formed to have a minimum value at a portion where the radialdirection position (relative value) is 50 to 60.

However, the inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade 60 is not limitedto the example illustrated in FIG. 6, and may be, for example, selectedaccording to the shape of the fan 51 or the blowing direction of theairflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 or the like.

Also, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the outlet angle (θ2)of the stationary blade 60 changes continuously according to the radialdirection position such that it corresponds to the inlet angle (θ1) ofthe stationary blade 60 and the velocity distribution of the airflowgenerated by the fan 51.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in the stationary blade 60according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the outlet angles(θ2) change continuously such that the outlet angles (θ2) of the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion becomelarge relative to the outlet angle (θ2) of the radial center portion. Inother words, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustratedin FIGS. 6 and 7 a to 7 c, the outlet angle (θ2 a) at the outercircumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 and the outlet angle(θ2 c) at the inner circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60become large relative to the outlet angle (θ2 b) at the radial centerportion of the stationary blade 60 (θ2 a>θ2 b, θ2 c>θ2 b).

Also, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the difference(θ1-θ2) between the inlet angle (θ1) and the outlet (θ2) becomes largeat the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferentialportion of the stationary blade 60 compared with the radial centerportion of the stationary blade 60. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG.6, a difference (Da) (=θ1 a−θ2 a) at the outer circumferential portionof the stationary blade 60 and the difference Dc (=θ1 c−θ2 c) at theinner circumferential portion become larger compared with a differenceDb (=θ1 b−θ2 b) at the radial center portion of the stationary blade 60(Da>Db, Dc>Db).

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, the differenceDa at the outer circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 andthe difference Dc at the inner circumferential portion can be madelarger than 20°, and the difference Db at the radial center portion ofthe stationary blade 60 can be made less than 20°.

Also, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 a to 7 c, thedifference Da at the outer circumferential portion of the stationaryblade 60 becomes larger than the difference Dc at the innercircumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 (Da>Dc).

On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 8a , in a cross section of thestationary blade 60 cut in the rotation direction of the fan 51, astraight line connecting the inlet edge 601 and the outlet edge 602 isreferred to as a chord S.

In the stationary blade 60 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a chord angle (θ3) formed by the chord S and the rotationaxis C changes continuously according to the radial direction positionsuch that it corresponds to the inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade60 and the velocity distribution of the airflow generated by the fan 51.Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 8a to 8c , in the embodiment ofthe present disclosure, a chord angle (θ3 a) at the outercircumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 and a chord angle (θ3c) at the inner circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60become large compared with a chord angle (θ3 b) at the radial centerportion of the stationary blade 60 (θ3 a>θ 3 b, θ3 c>θ3 b).

Also, in the stationary blade 60 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the length of the chord S changes continuouslyaccording to the radial direction position such that it corresponds tothe inlet angle (θ1) of the stationary blade 60 and the velocitydistribution of the airflow generated by the fan 51. Specifically, asillustrated in FIGS. 8a to 8c , a length La of a chord Sa at the outercircumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 and a length Lc of achord Sc at the inner circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60are longer compared with a length Lb of a chord Sb at the radial centerportion of the stationary blade 60 (La>Lb, Lc>Lb).

On the other hand, in the blower 50 having the stationary blade 60 onthe downstream side of the blowing direction of the airflow by the fan51, in the case where the stationary blade 60 has a shape curved rapidlyfrom the inlet edge 601 to the outlet edge 602, there is a tendency thatit is difficult to effectively recover the dynamic pressure by thestationary blade 60. That is, in the case where the stationary blade 60has a shape curved rapidly, the airflow is easily separated from thesurface of the stationary blade 60 in the process of moving the airflowintroduced from the side of the inlet edge 601 of the stationary blade60 to the side of the outlet edge 602. When the airflow is separatedfrom the stationary blade 60, it is difficult to change the blowingdirection of the airflow by the stationary blade 60, which makes itdifficult to effectively recover the dynamic pressure of the airflow.

As described above, in the stationary blade 60, the outlet angle (θ2) ismade to be smaller compared with the inlet angle (θ1) in order to changethe blowing direction of the airflow introduced from the inlet edge 601side. Also, in order to reduce the inflow resistance of the airflow tothe stationary blade 60, the inlet angle (θ1) is made to be large at theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion ofthe stationary blade 60 compared with the radial center portion of thestationary blade 60. Therefore, for example, when the outlet angle (θ2),the chord angle (θ3) and the length of the chord S of the stationaryblade 60 are constant regardless of the radial direction position, thestationary blade 60 is likely to be curved rapidly at the inner andouter circumferential portions of the stationary blade 60 having thelarge inlet angle (θ1) compared with the radial center portion.

In this regard, in the stationary blade 60 according to the embodimentof the present disclosure, as described above, the outlet angle (θ2),the chord angle (θ3) and the length of the chord S are changed inaccordance with the radial direction position so as to correspond to theinlet angle (θ1) and the velocity distribution of the airflow generatedby the fan 51.

More specifically, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, theoutlet angle (θ2) and the chord angle (θ3) at the inner and outercircumferential portions of the stationary blade 60 are made to be largecompared with the outlet angle (θ2) and the chord angle (θ3) at theradial center portion, and the length of the chord S at the inner andouter circumferential portions of the stationary blade 60 are made to belonger compared with the length of the chord S at the radial centerportion.

By having the stationary blade 60 have such a configuration, in theblower 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, thestationary blade 60 is restrained from being rapidly curved from theinlet edge 601 to the outlet edge 602 even at the inner and outercircumferential portions of the stationary blade 60 having the largeinlet angle (θ1).

As a result, in the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the dynamic pressure of the airflow generated by therotation of the fan 51 is effectively recovered by the stationary blade60, and therefore the static pressure efficiency of the blower 50 isimproved as compared with the case where the configuration of thepresent disclosure is not employed.

Also, in the stationary blade 60 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, since the length of the chord S at the inner andouter circumferential portions is made to be longer compared with theradial center portion, the length from the inlet edge 601 to the outletedge 602 on the surface of the stationary blade 60 in the outercircumferential portion and the inner circumferential portion of thestationary blade 60 becomes longer. That is, the path through which theairflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 is guided by thestationary blade 60 at the outer circumferential portion and the innercircumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 becomes longer ascompared with the radial center portion of the stationary blade 60.

Therefore, it is possible to effectively change the blowing direction ofthe airflow even at the outer circumferential portion and the innercircumferential portion having a high circumferential directioncomponent with respect to the airflow generated by the rotation of thefan 51 as compared with the case where the configuration of the presentdisclosure is not adopted, and so it is possible to more effectivelyrecover the dynamic pressure of the airflow.

On the other hand, as described above, at the radial center portion ofthe stationary blade 60, the inlet angle (θ1) is small relative to theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion. Forthis reason, the outlet angle (θ2) and the chord angle (θ3) at theradial center portion are made smaller as compared with the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion, and thuseven when the length of the chord S is shortened, the stationary blade60 is not rapidly curved from the inlet edge 601 to the outlet edge 602,so that the problem caused by the rapid curving of the stationary blade60 is unlikely to occur.

Also, as described above, the proportion of the axial component in theairflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 becomes high at theradial center portion as compared with the inner circumferential portionand the outer circumferential portion. In the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, by having the outlet angle (θ2) and the chord angle (θ3) ofthe radial center portion be small and having the length of the chord Sbe shorten as compared with the inner circumferential portion and theouter circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60, the blowingdirection of the airflow at the radial center portion can be changedmore toward the rotation axis direction as compared with the case wherethe configuration of the present disclose is not adopted.

Next, another embodiment of the stationary blade 60 of the presentdisclosure will be described.

FIG. 9, which is a view for explaining the configuration of thestationary blades 60 to which another embodiment is applied, is a viewshowing the stationary blades 60 viewed from the direction of therotation axis.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the embodiment of the present disclosure,the plurality of stationary blades 60 are connected to a radial centerportion and have a ring-shaped supporting member 68 for supporting theplurality of stationary blades 60. Also, in the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the stationary blades 60 are divided into aplurality of inner circumferential stationary blades 61 extending fromthe connecting member 65 to the supporting member 68 by the supportingmember 68 and a plurality of outer circumferential stationary blades 61extending from the supporting member 68 to the inner wall surface 541.Also, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the innercircumferential stationary blades 61 has the same shape, and each of theouter circumferential stationary blades 62 has the same shape.

In the blower 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure,by providing the supporting member 68 at the radial center portion ofthe stationary blades 60, the strength of the stationary blades 60 isimproved as compared with the case where the configuration of thepresent disclosure is not adopted. Also, for example, since the strengthof the stationary blades 60 can be maintained even when the stationaryblades 60 are manufactured using a low-cost manufacturing method such asresin molding, the cost of the blower 50 is reduced.

Herein, in the stationary blades 60 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure as well, as in the example shown in FIG. 4 and thelike, the shapes of the inner circumferential stationary blades 61 andthe outer circumferential stationary blades 62 continuously change inthe radial direction to correspond to the radial distribution of thevelocity of the airflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51. Thatis, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the shape in which theinner circumferential stationary blade 61 and the outer circumferentialstationary blade 62 are connected has the same shape as the stationaryblade 60 shown in FIG. 4 and the like.

Specifically, the inner circumferential stationary blades 61 have thelarger inlet angle (θ1) (refer to FIG. 5), the larger outlet angle (θ2)(refer to FIG. 5) and the larger chord angle (θ3) (refer to FIG. 8a ) atthe side of the connecting member 65 and have the longer chord S ascompared with the side of the supporting member 68. Also, the outercircumferential stationary blades 62 have the larger inlet angle (θ1),the larger outlet angle (θ2) and the larger chord angle (θ3) at the sideof the inner wall surface 541 and have the longer chord S as comparedwith the side of the supporting member 68.

Further, in the stationary blades 60 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a larger number of theouter circumferential stationary blades 62 are provided as compared withthe inner circumferential stationary blades 61. Accordingly, theinterval between the outer circumferential stationary blades 62 isrestrained from becoming too wide as compared with, for example, thecase where the inner circumferential stationary blades 61 and the outercircumferential stationary blades 62 are the same in number. As aresult, it is possible to effectively change the blowing direction ofthe airflow generated by the rotation of the fan 51 also at the outercircumferential side (the outer circumferential stationary blade 62) ofthe stationary blade 60, so that the dynamic pressure is recovered moreeffectively as compared with the case where the configuration of thepresent disclosure is not adopted.

Further, in the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the stationary blades 60are divided into two regions (the inner circumferential stationary blade61 and the outer circumferential stationary blade 62) by one supportingmember 68, but a plurality of supporting members 68 may be provided inthe radial direction so that the stationary blades 60 are divided intothree or more regions. In this case, the number of the stationary blades60 in the three or more respective regions and the interval between thestationary blades 60 may be changed.

Further, in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 9, the inlet angle(θ1) of the stationary blade 60 is continuously changed in accordancewith the radial position. However, in the case where the relationshipthat the inlet angle (θ1) at the inner circumferential portion and theouter circumferential portion of the stationary blade 60 is larger thanthe inlet angle (θ1) at the radial center portion is satisfied, the sizeof the inlet angle (θ1) may be changed stepwise according to the radialdirection position of the stationary blade 60. Similarly, the outletangle (θ2), the chord angle (θ3), the length L of the chord S, and thelike of the stationary blade 60 may also be changed stepwise accordingto the radial direction position of the stationary blade 60.

As described above, in the blower 50 according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the plurality of stationary blades 60 have a shapethat changes in accordance with the radial direction position so as tocorrespond to the blowing direction of the airflow generated by therotation of the fan 51. Accordingly, the circumferential directionenergy (dynamic pressure) of the airflow generated by the rotation ofthe fan 51 is effectively recovered by the plurality of stationaryblades 60. As a result, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, thestatic pressure efficiency in the blower 50 is improved as compared withthe case where the configuration of the present disclosure is notadopted.

Also, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the noise generatedby the airflow in the blower 50 is reduced as compared with the casewhere the configuration of the present disclosure is not adopted.

While a blower and an air conditioner having the blower have beendescribed with reference to specific shapes and directions as above,those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications andchanges are possible, and such various modifications and changes shouldbe construed as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[Description of the reference numeral]  1: air conditioner  10: outdoorunit  20: indoor unit  50: blower  51: fan  52: electric motor  53:first housing  54: second housing  60: stationary blade  61: innercircumferential blade  62: outer circumferential blade  65: connectingmember  68: supporting member 601: inlet edge 602: outlet edge θ1: inletangle θ2: outlet angle θ3: chord angle C: rotation axis S: chord

The invention claimed is:
 1. An air conditioner comprising: a compressorto compress a refrigerant; a heat exchanger to move heat of therefrigerant; and a blower to blow air so as to cool the heat exchanger,the blower comprising a fan which is rotated about a rotation axis; anda plurality of stationary blades having a radial shape about therotation axis in a direction in which the airflow generated by therotation of the fan is discharged, and being curved in a directionopposite to the rotation direction of the fan as they extend from aninner circumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion, eachof the stationary blades having a center line passing through a centerof thickness of the stationary blade, each of the blades comprising: aninlet edge through which the airflow generated by the fan is introduced;and an outlet edge through which the airflow introduced into the inletedge is discharged, a chord extending between the inlet edge and theoutlet edge, wherein an inlet angle is formed by a tangential line fromthe rotation axis to the center line and a chord angle is formed by aline extending through the chord to the rotation axis and the rotationaxis, and the inlet angle and the chord angle are larger at the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion of thestationary blade than at a radial center portion between the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion.
 2. Theair conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the stationary blades arecontinuously changed in accordance with the radial direction positionsuch that the velocity distribution of the airflow generated by therotation of the fan corresponds to the inlet angle as it changes betweenthe inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion.3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the stationaryblades are continuously changed in accordance with the radial directionposition such that the chord angle corresponds to the inlet angle andthe velocity distribution of the airflow generated by the rotation ofthe fan.
 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein thestationary blades have a larger outlet angle which is formed by theoutlet edge and the rotation axis, at the inner circumferential portionand the outer circumferential portion than at the radial center portionbetween the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferentialportion.
 5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein thestationary blades have a longer length of the chord at the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion than atthe radial center portion between the inner circumferential portion andthe outer circumferential portion.
 6. The air conditioner according toclaim 5, wherein the stationary blades are continuously changed inaccordance with the radial direction position such that the outlet angleand the length of the chord correspond to the inlet angle and thevelocity distribution of the airflow generated by the rotation of thefan.
 7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprises anelectric motor to drive the fan, a first housing to house the fan andthe electric motor, and a second housing provided with the stationaryblades.
 8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the firsthousing has a cylindrical inner wall surface, a flow passage throughwhich the airflow generated by the fan passes along the inner wallsurface is formed inside the first housing, and the cross-sectional areaof the flow passage is reduced along the advancing direction of theairflow.
 9. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the secondhousing has a cylindrical inner wall surface, a flow passage throughwhich the airflow after passing through the first housing passes alongthe inner wall surface is formed inside the second housing, and thecross-sectional area of the flow passage is increased along theadvancing direction of the airflow.
 10. The air conditioner according toclaim 9, wherein the stationary blades are provided to extend to aconnecting member provided adjacent to the rotation axis from the innerwall surface and are provided in a plate shape having a uniformthickness from the inner circumferential portion contacting with theconnecting member to the outer circumferential portion contacting withthe inner wall surface.
 11. The air conditioner according to claim 10,wherein a ring-shaped supporting member to support the stationary bladesis provided between the inner wall surface and the connecting member,and the stationary blades comprise inner circumferential stationaryblades connecting the connecting member and the supporting member, andouter circumferential stationary blades connecting the supporting memberand the inner wall surface.
 12. The air conditioner according to claim11, wherein the outer circumferential stationary blades are provided tohave a larger number than the number of the inner circumferentialstationary blades.
 13. An air conditioner comprising: a compressor tocompress a refrigerant; a heat exchanger to move heat of therefrigerant; and a blower to blow air so as to cool the heat exchanger,the blower comprising a fan which is rotated about a rotation axis; anda plurality of stationary blades having a radial shape about therotation axis in a direction in which the airflow generated by therotation of the fan is discharged, and being curved in a directionopposite to the rotation direction of the fan as they extend from aninner circumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion, eachof the stationary blades having a center line passing through a centerof thickness of the stationary blade, each of the blades comprising: aninlet edge through which the airflow generated by the fan is introduced;and an outlet edge through which the airflow introduced into the inletedge is discharged, a chord extending between the inlet edge and theoutlet edge, wherein an inlet angle formed by a tangential line from therotation axis to the center line is larger at the inner circumferentialportion and the outer circumferential portion than at a radial centerportion between the inner circumferential portion and the outercircumferential portion of the stationary blade, and the length of achord connecting the inlet edge and the outlet edge is longer at theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion thanat the radial center portion.
 14. A blower comprising: a fan which isrotated about a rotation axis; and a plurality of stationary bladeshaving a radial shape about the rotation axis in a direction in whichthe airflow generated by the rotation of the fan is discharged, andbeing curved in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of thefan as they extend from an inner circumferential portion to an outercircumferential portion, each of wherein the stationary blades having acenter line passing through a center of thickness of the stationaryblade, each of the stationary blades comprising: an inlet edge throughwhich the airflow generated by the fan is introduced, and an outlet edgethrough which the airflow introduced into the inlet edge is discharged,wherein an inlet angle formed by a tangential line from the rotationaxis to the center line and a chord angle formed by a line extendingthrough a chord connecting the inlet edge and the outlet edge and therotation axis, and the inlet angle and the chord angle are larger at theinner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion ofthe stationary blade than at the radial center portion between the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion.
 15. Ablower comprising: a fan which is rotated about a rotation axis; and aplurality of stationary blades having a radial shape about the rotationaxis in a direction in which the airflow generated by the rotation ofthe fan is discharged, and being curved in a direction opposite to therotation direction of the fan as they extend from an innercircumferential portion to an outer circumferential portion, each of thestationary blades having a center line passing through a center ofthickness of the stationary blade, each of the stationary bladescomprising: an inlet edge through which the airflow generated by the fanis introduced; and an outlet edge through which the airflow introducedinto the inlet edge is discharged, a chord extending between the inletedge and the outlet edge, wherein an inlet angle is formed by atangential line from the rotation axis to the center line and is largerat the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferentialportion than at the radial center portion between the innercircumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion of thestationary blade, and the length of a chord connecting the inlet edgeand the outlet edge is longer at the inner circumferential portion andthe outer circumferential portion than at the radial center portion.